The Stranniki (Russian for Runaways or Wanderers) are the strong Pomorsky Old Believers who rejected prayers for Tsar Peter and all government papers (identification, passports, money, etc). They would not wear clothing contrary to Old Orthodox Russia, nor eat with those of contrary Faith and Practice. Keeping themselves separate from the antichrist society they went far into the Siberian wilderness. This blog is about these people and my effort to conform my life to theirs.

Monday, August 24, 2009

On Bathing

St. Clement of Alexandria had some things to say about the bath and bathing.

It is sinful to be unclean. But it is alright to simply wash with a clean cloth, if we have one. Water can be helpful too, but all water has now been poisoned by chemicals, etc.

God does not expect from us more than we can reasonably do, it is not reasonable for us to pollute ourselves with cleaning products that are actually toxic in the first place. People do not realize the condition we are all really living in.

Just using a natural type cloth might not satisfy the more modern-minded kind of people who in their misguided understanding feel that everything must constantly be physically sanitized. Science has shown that attempting to live in a completely sterile environment makes a person weaker and more susceptible to the effects of germs. Sometimes cleanliness, at least from a modern perspective, can backfire. Basically all the soaps today are made with toxic chemicals or are packaged in unclean petroleum products like plastic or cardboard paper. We are all more ill from such things than we realize.

We should not always go along with the crowd or accept what we were taught about cleanliness, etc.